I used to work at a public library. Collection development is really critical. There's only so much room on the shelves and only so much money in the budget. The average public library's target audience is the recreational reader, meaning that the library's main role is providing "popular materials." What do you do with materials that used to be popular that nobody is using? It's a judgment call, but for the most part, you pull stuff that hasn't been checked out in years to make room for things that people want. Especially in the fiction section, which is pretty fluid.
I thought about the weeding process when I read Terry Teachout's article on John P. Marquand. Marquand wrote best-selling novels -- even Pulitzer Prize-winning work -- in the 1930s, 40s and 50s and only a couple are still in print. If you have a desire to read the out-of-print Point of No Return, thanks to Terry Teachout, try the public library. If your library doesn't have it (because nobody reads John P. Marquand nowadays and the librarian pulled the book 20 years ago to make way for a different trendy writer), ask about interlibrary loan. Try eBay. Maybe Goodwill has a copy, or visit a used-book store.
Or read something by Terry Teachout instead. He has a new book out.
I thought about the weeding process when I read Terry Teachout's article on John P. Marquand. Marquand wrote best-selling novels -- even Pulitzer Prize-winning work -- in the 1930s, 40s and 50s and only a couple are still in print. If you have a desire to read the out-of-print Point of No Return, thanks to Terry Teachout, try the public library. If your library doesn't have it (because nobody reads John P. Marquand nowadays and the librarian pulled the book 20 years ago to make way for a different trendy writer), ask about interlibrary loan. Try eBay. Maybe Goodwill has a copy, or visit a used-book store.
Or read something by Terry Teachout instead. He has a new book out.